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Maximizing Returns from Pre-Kindergarten Education

Maximizing Returns from Pre-Kindergarten Education. Conference on Education and Economic Development Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland November 19, 2004 W. Steven Barnett, Ph.D. National Institute for Early Education Research www.nieer.org (732) 932-4350, sbarnett@nieer.org . Overview.

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Maximizing Returns from Pre-Kindergarten Education

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  1. Maximizing Returns from Pre-Kindergarten Education Conference on Education and Economic Development Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland November 19, 2004 W. Steven Barnett, Ph.D. National Institute for Early Education Research www.nieer.org (732) 932-4350, sbarnett@nieer.org

  2. Overview Topics: • Trends and current landscape • Rationale for public investment • How to increase efficiency Efficiency determined by policies about: • Person—Who? • Process—How? • Context—What else?

  3. Trends and Current Landscape • Preschool education is growing steadily • Patchwork of public & private programs • Most public programs target the poor • Many poor children still not enrolled • Enrollment is lowest at moderate income

  4. Rationale for Public Investment in Pre-K • High Rates of Return • Large Externalities • Imperfect Information • Principal-Agent Problem • Myopia • Individual Risk

  5. Economic Benefits of Early Education Well-established • Increased achievement • Reduced grade repetition and special education • Increased educational attainment • Increased employment, productivity, and earnings • Less welfare dependency • Reduced crime and delinquency Some evidence • Less abuse and neglect • Increased maternal employment and earnings (child care) • Decreased health care costs and mortality

  6. Three Benefit-Cost Analyses

  7. Perry Preschool: Educational Effects

  8. Perry: Economic Effects at Age 27

  9. Perry: Arrests per person by age 27

  10. Abecedarian Reading Ach. Over Time

  11. Abecedarian Math Achievement Over Time

  12. Abecedarian : Academic Benefits

  13. CPC: Academic and Social Benefits at School Exit

  14. Economic Returns to Pre-K for Disadvantaged Children Cost Benefits B/C Perry Pre-K $16,264 $277,631 17.07 Abecedarian $36,929 $139,571 3.78 Chicago $ 7,417 $ 52,936 7.14

  15. Person: Who Should Get Public Pre-K? • Targeting is costly and imperfect • Head Start misses most poor children • About half of Head Start children not poor • Benefits do not stop at the poverty line • Many nonpoor have similar problems • Benefits decrease gradually with income • Georgetown study of UPK in OK

  16. Educational Failure is Common for Middle Class Children Middle class children have fairly high rates of the problems that Pre-K reduces for poor children. IncomeRetention Dropout Lowest 20% 17% 23% 20-80% 12% 11% Highest 20% 8% 3% Source:US Department of Education, NCES (1997). Dropout rates in the United States: 1995. Figures are multi-year averages.

  17. Cognitive Readiness Gap

  18. Social Readiness Gap

  19. Process: Improving Quality and Outcomes in Pre-K • Outcomes of models not fully replicated • Teaching is inadequate • Teachers poorly qualified, poorly paid • Curriculum lacking • Class sizes sometimes too large • Standards and accountability needed • Leadership and supervision required

  20. Effects of Models v. Large Scale Models Head Start/ Public School Special Education 19.6 4.7** Grade Repetition 14.9 8.4* **p<.01, two tailed t-test with unequal variances *p<.05, two-tailed t test with unequal variances

  21. Preschool Classroom Quality is Too Low Excellent Good Minimal

  22. Teaching Quality in Urban NJ Classrooms (PCI, by Item) 1999

  23. Children’s Experiences in Three Curricula

  24. Some Negative Curriculum Effectsthrough Age 23

  25. Some Positive Curriculum Effects through Age 23

  26. Process: Research Needs • Requires RCT’s • Age of start and years • Length of day and year • Fine tune class size and ratio • Fine tune staffing and support • Services beyond the classroom • Choice and competition

  27. Context: Changing policy, Changing World K-12 policies must synchronize Education is more important NCLB requires closing the gap High rates of poverty and low ed. persist Nation needs higher productivity Crime has become even more costly

  28. Conclusions • Public Pre-K will and should grow • Public Pre-K must be improved • Universal programs may be more efficient • Quality can and must be raised • Balanced curriculum is part of quality

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